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Two classic car enthusiasts were killed when they were overcome with fumes while trying to protect a newly-acquired Mercedes Benz , an inquest has heard.

William Reid, 67, was backing his vintage car into a protective plastic covering in his garage when he lost consciousness due to carbon monoxide.

His partner, Kathryn Workman, 70, tried to rescue Mr Reid but was also affected by the fumes and backed off to call 999. However, after confusion in the ensuing exchange with the operator, she was advised to go back and help Mr Reid, after which she also succumbed.

A coroner ruled that Mrs Workman would have gone back for Mr Reid no matter the advice from the 999 operator.

The two-day inquest in Cockermouth, Cumbria, heard Mr Reid, had collected and restored classic cars for years. Among his collection, which largely comprised cars from the 1980s, were a Bentley, a Rolls Royce and a number of Mercedes.

He had recently acquired a Mercedes from the United States and opted to store the vehicle in a large plastic bag to protect it during the winter months. The Telegraph understands that Mr Reid had taken a 1980s Mercedes Benz 230 estate out of third party storage on the morning of the incident in October 2017.

The retired lorry driver attempted to reverse the car into the plastic bag with the help of Mrs Workman while in their garage in High Seaton, Workington, which was located below road level at the bottom of a slope and attached to the house next door.

Mrs Workman managed to crawl out of the bag after it filled with fumes and call the emergency services. She was initially told to keep away from the area, but confusion about what was happening in the garage led to the operator advise her to return to help him.

Mrs Workman tried to wake Mr Reid but was unable to and shortly after stopped responding on the call, an inquest heard.

The coroner was told it took paramedics a while to find the couple after arriving due to the unorthodox location of the garage.

Ben Sayner, North West Ambulance Service paramedic, said: "We ripped the bag open and there was a very strong smell of fumes so we ran out."

Paramedics opened as many doors as they could before going back into the garage to rescue Mrs Workman, although Mr Reid was deemed to be too far into the bag to reach without breathing equipment.

It was not until the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service arrived that emergency services could get to Mr Reid, who was removed from the bag and treated but was pronounced dead at the scene at 1.13pm.

Mrs Workman suffered a cardiac arrest and had to be taken by ambulance to hospital but died two days later.

Detective Sergeant Martin Hodgson, who investigated the incident for Cumbria Police, said the bag was one you would "definitely struggle" to tear open.

Post-mortems found Mr Reid had died from poisoning by carbon monoxide, while Mrs Workman died by hypoxic brain injury due to poisoning by carbon monoxide.

An internal investigation carried out by the ambulance service found that the operator's decision to advise Mrs Workman to help her partner had been "accepted as reasonable".

This was because it was felt they could not have known this would place Ms Workman in a hazardous environment due to the confusing language used to describe the situation.

Coroner Simon Ward said Mrs Workman told the handler she was going back into the bag to help her partner of her own initiative.

He added: "I'm satisfied she would have still tried to help Mr Reid irrespective of the instructions of the call handler. Mrs Workman was aware she may become unconscious.

"My view is she would have still tried to help him and that's a credit to her dedication to their relationship.

"Mrs Workman would have done all she could to help Mr Reid irrespective of her own safety."

He concluded Mr Reid died as a result of an accident while recording a verdict of misadventure for Mrs Workman.

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